Illinois Valley Times

State Sen. Brian Stewart (R-Freeport) is making sure residents struggling with water and sewer bills are aware of a new $42 million assistance program.

“On Dec. 7, the state of Illinois launched the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) with $42 million available to help residents unable to pay their water and sewer bills,” Stewart wrote in a recent Senate in Review post to his website. “To be eligible, Illinois families must demonstrate that they are within 200 percent of the federal poverty line.”

The program stems from a partnership between the Pritzker administration and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), where the two are using funds from the federal ARPA to help cash-strapped families across the state with energy assistance and other essential services as effects of COVID-19 linger.  

Adding to the state’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program, the state’s fiscal year 2022 (FY 22) budget approves an expansion of those programs for eligible Illinois residents seeking assistance in covering costs that include utility bills, rent, temporary shelter, food, and other household necessities.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker continues to tout the new program as the right thing to do.

“I came into the governor’s office with a promise to rebuild and revitalize Illinois’ human services sector, which has been decimated, frankly, under my predecessor’s budget crisis,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times. “While the need is still great, I’m very proud that Illinois is a national leader in helping people stay in their homes during this health emergency.”

To date and through various programs, Pritzker said the state has been able to help Illinoisans avoid 112,000 instances of disconnected utilities across the state and plans to provide “hundreds of millions of additional dollars to support their recovery in the months ahead.”

The program is available to those facing disconnection and homes that have already had their services cut off or a past due balance over $250 combined for their water and wastewater services.

The governor also recently announced that the state has launched another $300 million pool of funds for rental assistance and urged residents needing help with those payments to visit the Illinois families site for more information.

For the water assistance program, Stewart said interested parties can visit the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s website helpillinoisfamilies.com for more information.